New Year Brings New Laws at Federal and State Levels

With the new year comes various new laws across the country.

On the federal level, the Inflation Reduction Act will bring discounts on solar panels and energy efficient appliances, and tax credits for electric vehicles owners. On the state level, new laws are going into effect on abortion, minimum wage, marijuana use, and more.

Abortion: California and New York will each begin enforcing new abortion protections this week, with California codifying the right to an abortion, and New York requiring private insurers offering maternity leave to include abortion care. Meanwhile, more than a dozen states are either banning or strictly limiting abortions, mostly through "trigger laws" that went in effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade.

Minimum Wage: Twenty-three states increased their minimum wage for 2023. The highest minimum wage is in Washington state, at $15.74 per hour, followed closely by California, New York, and Massachusetts. Of all cities, Washington, D.C. leads the way with a minimum wage of $16.50 per hour, which will increase to $17 on July 1. Meanwhile, the federal minimum wage remains at $7.25 per hour.

Marijuana Use; While there is no national decriminalization of marijuana, Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota are now allowing adults to legally use marijuana for the first time. Twenty-one states now allow the use of recreational marijuana, and 37 states allow the use of medical marijuana in some form.